Chinese automaker plans to bring electric vehicles in Pakistan

HEFEI: JAC Motor, a Chinese state-owned automobile and commercial manufacturer based in Anhui province, is planning to introduce electric vehicles in the Pakistani market, its Deputy Chief Economic Manager David Zhang said.

Talking to APP, he said, “We are planning to introduce new energy vehicles and particularly electric cars in the Pakistani market under a long-term development programme in the future.”

Expressing confidence in the current economic situation in Pakistan, he said Pakistan’s economy is now gearing up and there is visible improvement in the development of infrastructure.

He said the management of the company is thinking and aiming at the opportunity to expand its production line in Pakistan.

He pointed out that the cost of the electric cars has also decreased a lot and it has become economically viable for the middle class, adding, “With more improvement in the economy and fundamental structure ready, we will have an opportunity to take our electric cars into the Pakistani market.”

David Zhang informed that his company is already exporting its products especially the light and mini trucks to Pakistan and it has also set up a factory to manufacture these trucks locally.

“The performance of our products in the local market has been very good and we will expand our lines of production from medium to heavy-duty trucks in the near future,” he added.

He said both China and Pakistan have friendly relations and are also strategic partners and the businessmen of the two countries have a very good potential to work together.

He opined that the Chinese investors could take advantage of good potential and incentives offered by the government of Pakistan under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

About the sales outside China, he said his company began the export of vehicles in 1990 to Bolivia and its products have subsequently been sold in over a hundred countries, adding light trucks are a popular exported product.

Some JAC exports are in the form of knock-down kits, which are assembled at overseas factories in countries including Egypt, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Mexico and Iran.